Santa Fe police and Galveston County authorities used a drone to try to track the primate but called off the extensive search before they could locate it. They have called in a team of primate experts to help them find the runaway chimp.

Officials have not been able to determine who owns the chimpanzee or how it ended up in Santa Fe. In Texas, you can own a chimpanzee but must have a Wildlife Diversity Permit which is issued by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Authorities have contacted all the permit holders in the area, but none of them reported that their animals were missing.

Authorities have warned residents not to approach the wild animal and to call animal control if they see it.

"The safety of residents, and the animal are top priority. Please allow the primate team to do their job, and please keep phone lines free in order for us to take actual verifiable reports," Bayou Animal Services wrote on Facebook.